The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on Saturday reported the state’s first measles case of the year, and the patient recently visited a healthcare facility in Fredericksburg.
According to a press release from VDH, the patient is a child (0-4 years) who recently traveled internationally. To protect the family’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient. Health officials are coordinating efforts to identify anyone who might have been exposed.
“This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel,” VDH State Epidemiologist Laurie Forlano, D.O., M.P.H said in the release. “Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks. We urge Virginians, especially those planning to travel, to check their vaccination status, talk to their health care provider, and get the MMR vaccine if needed.”
Here are the dates, times, and locations of potential exposure sites in Virginia:
- Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center, Advanced Urgent Care, located at 13285 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge on Tuesday, April 15 from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
- Kaiser Permanente Fredericksburg Medical Center, Pediatrics Department, located at 1201 Hospital Drive in Fredericksburg on Wednesday, April 16 from noon-5 p.m.
What should you do if you were at the above locations on the day and time specified?
If you have never received a measles-containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine, which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles. Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
If you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start seven to fourteen days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles.
However, infants who are too young to be vaccinated, and others who are not vaccinated, are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to measles. Infants six months through 11 months of age who will be traveling internationally, or to an outbreak setting, should receive one dose of MMR vaccine prior to travel. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about the MMR vaccine.
To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request your vaccination records using the VDH Immunization Record Request Form. Virginia residents with additional questions about their potential exposure can email [email protected] or contact your local health department.
For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/
